FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

RUSSELL, STIDHAM TAKE FIRST WINS OF YEAR IN HALLSVILLE
HALLSVILLE RACEWAY, Hallsville, Texas -Defending Federal-Mogul Dragster South Central division champion, Darrell Russell of Cypress, Texas, and Jackie Stidham of Chickasha, Okla., were the winners at the NHRA Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series event at Hallsville Raceway.

Russell, the Hallsville Raceway 1998 defending champion, took his first South Central divisional victory of the year by out running Gene Snow of Ft. Worth, Texas. In the semi-final against Tulsa, Oklahoma's Shelly Howard, Russell broke his own track record set in round one last Sunday with a run of 5.593 seconds at 258.59 mph. In the final, Russell came back to earth with a 5.668 seconds at 252.84 mph to beat Snow's 5.791 seconds at 234.04 mph.

"After the semi's, the track just went away on us", said Russell. "Going into second gear the tires began to shake and at about 400 feet I didn't see Gene [Snow], so I gave a little brake and the next thing I saw was the win light".

Chichasha, Okla.'s Jackie Stidham also took his first South Central divisional victory of the year at the Hallsville Raceway. In the semi-finals, Stidham beat last years Hallsville event champion, Tate Branch and won the right to take on the 1998 Federal-Mogul Funny Car South Central division champion, Todd Simpson. Both came off the line even and both spun the tires at about mid-track, but Stidham's car seemed to grab hold of the track after that and pull away from Simpson. Stidham ran 5.931 seconds at 244.77 mph to Simpson's 6.145 seconds at 217.48 mph to take the win.

"We shook so bad going into second gear, we almost ripped the [exhaust] pipes off the car", said Stidham. "It was shaking so bad all I could do was hang on, shift, and look for the win light."

Final results from Hallsville Raceway, Hallsville, Texas, the third of six events in the South Central Division of the 1999 NHRA Division Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series, listing driver, hometown, state, vehicle, elapsed time in seconds, speed in miles per hour.

FEDERAL-MOGUL DRAGSTER
Darrell Russell, Cypress, Texas, 5.668, 252.84
Gene Snow, Ft.Worth Texas, 5.791, 234.04.

FEDERAL-MOGUL FUNNY CAR
Jackie Stidham, Chickasha, Okla., '99 Oldsmobile, 5.931, 244.77
Todd Simpson, Ponder, Texas, '99 Dodge, 6.145, 217.48.

COMPETITION
David Cook Jr., Houston, Texas, '99 Oldsmobile, 8.691, 157.34
Dennis Smiley, Denver City, Texas, '98 Dragster, 7.199, 185.69 (red light).

SUPER STOCK
Vic Penrod, Walters, Okla., '69 Chevrolet, 10.623, 123.48
Jerry Emmons, Pasadena, Texas, '69 Chevrolet, 10.827, 121.47.

STOCK
Tommy Phillips, Mesquite, Texas, '94 Chevrolet, 11.156, 110.27
Charlie Ford, Spring, Texas, '68 Ford, 11.053, 108.45.

SUPER COMP
Billy Torrence, Kilgore, Texas, '99 Dragster, 8.900, 175.06
Ben Brown, Irving, Texas, '92 Dragster, 8.893, 150.63.

SUPER GAS
Craig Anderson, Waxahachie, Texas, '95 Pontiac, 9.837, 154.91
Robert Cool, Laplace, La., '70 Dodge, 9.887, 152.86 (red light).

SUPER STREET
Don Holcomb Jr., Crosby, Texas, '68 Chevy, 10.938, 135.87
Dan Dittmev, '63 Ford, 10.922, 134.10.

SPORTSMAN MOTORCYCLE
William Keele Jr., San Antonio, Texas., 9.281, 140.51
Lee Peterson, Bayou Vista, Texas, 11.134, 82.05 (red light).  

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

RAIN PUTS A HALT TO RECORD RUNS IN HALLSVILLE
HALLSVILLE RACEWAY, Hallsville, Texas - The thunderstorms began at 1:37 PM CST and put a halt to racing today at the NHRA Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series event at Hallsville Raceway.

NHRA officials managed to get about half of the day's schedule in before the rain began to fall. The remaining rounds of eliminations will be made-up Saturday, May 8th, with gates opening at 8:00AM. Eliminations will begin at 9:00AM Saturday, with semi-finals of Federal-Mogul Dragster and Federal-Mogul Funny Car scheduled to begin at 10:00 AM.

"It's too bad, we had a real fast track today", said NHRA South Central Division Director, Craig Hutchinson.

Before the rains came, Darrell Russell, of Cypress, Texas, set new track E.T. and speed records in his Federal-Mogul Dragster with a lap of 5.593 seconds at 258.59 mph. Russell beat his own track record set in Saturday's final qualifying session when he ran a lap of 5.646 seconds at 253.08 mph. In Federal-Mogul Funny Car, Tate Branch, of Artesia, N.M., broke the track speed record with a run of 5.944 seconds at 249.18 mph.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

"TEXAS BOYS" SHATTER RECORDS IN FINAL QUALIFYING AT HALLSVILLE
HALLSVILLE, Texas - Texas natives, Darrell Russell and Jimmy Jones, set track records in the final round of qualifying in Federal-Mogul Dragster and Federal-Mogul Funny Car, respectively, to claim the No. 1 qualifying positions at the NHRA Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series event at Hallsville Raceway.

Defending event champion, Darrell Russell of Cypress, Texas, set a track record in time and speed on his way to claiming the top spot in the Dragster field with a 5.646-seconds run at 253.08 mph.

"I didn't think we came close to a record," said Russell, of Cypress, Texas. "We smoked the tires a bit going into second gear, but over-all it felt like a good run.

Jones set a new track speed record with a run of 5.862 seconds at 245.09 mph to lead Funny Car qualifying on Saturday.

"This is great, No. 1 qualifier and a track speed record to boot", said Jones, of Cleburne, Texas. "We have been trying to get the set-up right for a couple weeks. We've been shaking the tires on every lap. I guess it all just came together [for our final lap]."

Final eliminations in all categories begin Sunday at 9:00 a.m., with quarterfinals of Federal-Mogul Dragsters and Federal-Mogul Funny Cars scheduled to begin at 12 noon.

HALLSVILLE, Texas-Final qualifying results from Hallsville Raceway, the third of six events in the 1999 NHRA South Central Division Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series, listing driver, hometown, state, vehicle, elapsed time in seconds, speed in miles per hour.

FEDERAL-MOGUL DRAGSTER
1. Darrell Russell, Cypress, Texas, 5.646, 253.08
2. Troy Buff, Spring, Texas, 5.699, 240.73
3. Gene Snow, Ft. Worth, Texas, 5.714, 234.39
4. Kent Nuckols, Albuqurque, N.M., 5.902, 220.16
5. Shelly Howard, Tulsa, Okla., 5.964, 185.61
6. Lee Callaway, Channelview, Texas, 6.082, 193.22
7. Bill Ancona, Manfield, Texas, 6.275, 173.04
8. Brian Ratliff, Tahlequah, Okla., 6.532, 230.90

FEDERAL-MOGUL FUNNY CAR
1. Jimmy Jones, Cleburne, Texas, '97 Chevrolet, 5.862, 245.09
2. Jackie Stidham, Chickasha, Okla., '99 Oldsmobile, 5.938, 243.71
3. Tate Branch, Artesia, N.M., '98 Dodge, 5.994, 226.76
4. Todd Simpson, Ponder, Texas, '99 Dodge, 6.036, 194.75
5. Jody Austin, North Rich Hills, Texas, '97 Oldsmobile, 6.281, 230.76
6. G.D. Chambers, Del City, Okla., '97 Pontiac, 7.001, 165.00
7. Billy Howry, Oklahoma City, Okla., '93 Dodge, 8.259, 119.83

COMPETITION
1. Greg Williams, Carthage, Texas, '90 Pontiac, 8.235 (-0.535)
2. Pete Carberry, Odessa, Texas, '89 Oldsmobile, 7.391, (-0.509)
3. Joey Tanksley, Baton Rouge, La., '92 Chevrolet, 7.172, (-0493)
4. Dennis Smiley, Denver City, Texas, '98 Dragster, 7.163 (-0.457)
5. David Cook Jr., Houston, Texas, '98 Chevrolet, 8.685 (-0.455)
6. Keith Hall, Ravenna, Texas, '87 Chevrolet, 8.954 (-0.426)
7. Gary Wise, Odessa, Texas, '94 Chevrolet, 8.635 (-0.405)
8. Greg Hogue, Aledo, Texas, '96 Dragster, 7.924 (-0.216)

SUPER STOCK
1. Brent Johnson, Lecompte, La., '66 Chevrolet, 11.348 (-1.102)
2. Ronnie Cardwell, Rustin, La., '95 Oldsmobile, 10.283 (-1.067)
3. Sid Bonnecarrere, Gray, La., '68 Dodge, 9.027 (-0.973)
4. Red Leblanc, Bartlett, Tenn., '69 Ford, 9.742 (-0.958)
5. Terry Pearson, Spanish Fort, Ala., '98 Oldsmobile, 9.748 (-0.952)
6. Kirk Neal, Greenville, Miss., '89 Chevrolet, 10.012 (-0.938)
7. Terry Emmons, Pasadena, Texas, '96 Pontiac, 10.365 (-0.935)
8. Brent Booking, Laporte, Texas, '89 Pontiac, 9.303 (-0.897)

STOCK
1. Joey Tueton, Houma, La., '97 Dodge, 12.452 seconds (-1.298)
2. Jeff Ferguson, Metairie, La., '78 Plymouth, 11.747 (-1.203)
3. Billy Lynn, Searcy, Texas, '79 Chevrolet, 11.809 (-1.141)
4. Ronnie Cardwell, Ruston, La., '90 Pontiac, 11.812 (-1.138)
5.  Jeff Teuton, Houma, La., '97 Dodge, 12.232 (-1.118)
6. George Cox, Memphis, Tenn., '97 Pontiac 10.918 (-1.082)
7. Greg Hill, Memphis, Tenn., '71 Chevrolet, 11.533 (-1.067)
8. Verne Buchanan, Conway, Ark., '73 Ford, 11.720 (-1.030)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BUFF, STIDHAM SET PACE IN FIRST ROUND QUALIFYING AT HALLSVILLE
HALLSVILLE, Texas - Drivers Troy Buff and Jackie Stidham set the pace in Federal-Mogul Dragster and Federal-Mogul Funny Car, respectively, to claim the No. 1 qualifying positions at the NHRA Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series event at Hallsville Raceway.

Buff took the top spot in the Dragster field with a 5.699-seconds run at 240.73 mph.

"The car was running on its edge," said Buff, of Spring, Texas. "I even shut the car off at 1200 feet to make sure I could stop. Next time I'm sure I can run in the low 5.60's"

Stidham recorded the fastest run of the day with a run of 5.938 seconds at 243.71mph to lead Funny Car qualifying on Friday.

"At the Castrol Nationals last week in Dallas last week we couldn't make a smooth run all weekend," said Stidham, of Chickasha, Okla. "Today we ran smooth and straight. I f the weather stays nice like today we can run in the low 5.80's."

Qualifying in all categories continues Saturday at 9:00 a.m., with Federal-Mogul Dragsters and Federal-Mogul Funny Cars scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m.

HALLSVILLE, Texas-First round qualifying results from Hallsville Raceway, the third of six events in the 1999 NHRA South Central Division Federal-Mogul Drag Racing Series, listing driver, hometown, state, vehicle, elapsed time in seconds, speed in miles per hour.

FEDERAL-MOGUL DRAGSTER
1. Troy Buff, Spring, Texas, 5.699 seconds, 240.73 mph
2. Shelly Howard, Tulsa, Okla., 5.964, 185.61
3. Bill Ancona, Manfield, Texas, 8.044, 106.7

FEDERAL-MOGUL FUNNY CAR
1. Jackie Stidham, Chickasha, Okla., '99 Oldsmobile, 5.938, 243.71
2. Jimmy Jones, Cleburne, Texas, '97 Chevrolet, 5.961, 233.25
3. Tate Branch, Artesia, N.M., '98 Dodge, 5.994, 226.76
4. Todd Simpson, Ponder, Texas, '99 Dodge, 6.036, 194.75

COMPETITION
1. Greg Williams, Carthage, Texas, '90 Pontiac, 8.252 (-0.518)
2. Pete Carberry, Odessa, Texas, '89 Oldsmobile, 7.411, (-0.489)
3. Dennis Smiley, Denver City, Texas, '98 Dragster, 7.163 (-0.457)
4. David Cook Jr., Houston, Texas, '98 Chevrolet, 8.696 (-0.444)
5. Keith Hall, Ravenna, Texas, '87 Chevrolet, 8.954 (-0.426)
6. Gary Wise, Odessa, Texas, '94 Chevrolet, 8.683 (-0.357)

SUPER STOCK
1. Ronnie Cardwell, Rustin, La., '95 Oldsmobile, 10.324 (-1.026)
2. Brent Johnson, Lecompte, La., '66 Chevrolet, 11.436 (-1.014)
3. Red Leblanc, Bartlett, Tenn., '69 Ford, 9.752 (-0.948)
4. Bobby Cossard, Donaldsonville, La., '95 Pontiac, 10.620 (-0.930)
5. Terry Pearson, Spanish Fort, Ala., '98 Oldsmobile, 9.775 (-0.925)
6. Brent Booking, Laporte, Texas, '89 Pontiac, 9.303 (-0.897)
7. Bob Shahan, Little Rock, Ark., '65 Chevrolet, 9.466 (-0.884)
8. Don Barbar, Hohenwald, Tenn., '93 Oldsmobile, 9.855 (-0.845)

STOCK
1. Joey Tueton, Houma, La., '97 Dodge, 12.639 seconds (-1.146)
2. Jeff Ferguson, Metairie, La., '78 Plymouth, 11.870 (-1.133) 
3. Jeff Teuton, Houma, La., '97 Dodge, 12.315 (-1.094)
4. George Cox, Memphis, Tenn., '97 Pontiac 10.923 (-1.077)
5. Greg Hill, Memphis, Tenn., '71 Chevrolet, 11.544 (-1.067)
6. Ronnie Cardwell, Ruston, La., '90 Pontiac, 11.907 (-1.043)
7. Debbie Cardwell, Ruston, La., '90 Pontiac, 11.986 (-1.014)
8. Jimmy Hildalgo, Donaldsville, La., '97 Chevy, 11.018 (-0.987)